Are there any benefits from being diagnosed with Autism/ADHD?

I actually suspected having ADHD before thinking I might be autistic, but two years later I had an assessment only for autism and they did diagnose me as autistic and when ADD was brought up as a possibility they said they didn't pick up on any symptoms or traits of ADD. Since my struggles with RSD are quite bad these last few years I took this as me being stupid for even suggesting that and despite throughout the next year feeling like there was still a lot about me that was unexplained I kept pushing it off and telling myself I am just going to be told I am wrong again.

The lack of the ADHD diagnosis for me did me really bad to be honest. I had to go through a mental health crisis to get diagnosed autistic. And with the lack of support for my ADHD I unfortunately declined even more to the point I ended up with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa, emotional dysregulation, borderline personality traits, and depressive episodes and I think I even ended up experiencing a manic episode as a result of the extreme stress and lack of proper support.

Receiving my ADHD (combined type) diagnosis was such a relief and really did make a huge difference for me. I got access to medication which has made a huge difference in my focus and it even helps me a lot with my anxiety. I am taking methylphenidate but this is not the only medication used to treat ADHD, if you do manage to get access to them (it is not so easy in the UK right now unfortunately I had to go private to access them but if you are able to I would highly recommend giving them a go if you do receive an ADHD diagnosis) there are 4 different ones available to try.

Unfortunately I had to go through a lot of mental health problems and crisis's to even get diagnosed and access medication because I kept getting left behind and rejected by services because I didn't seem to fit the stereotypes but I hope this would not be the case for you. If you feel that there is still somethings about you that seem unexplained or you do really struggle to keep focused or any of the other symptoms and you feel it would benefit you to have some support with it then I highly recommend looking into getting diagnosed.

Another common thing I noticed in other ADHDers is difficulty regulating emotions and RSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria) although I don't think these are part of the diagnostic criteria I recommend looking into them as they do seem common (not in absolutely everyone with an ADHD diagnosis) and I believe these are the traits that let to my "borderline personality traits" diagnosis. I feel these traits are not talked about enough and when people think ADHD they think inattentive, hyper, unable to focus but I think there is much more to ADHD than that and more research still needs to be done. 

This is just my experience, I am completely aware we are different people and we may present or experience these conditions in a totally different way but I hope this may have been helpful for you! I would say that if you find that you may have some struggles with stress or anxiety, or you feel the possible ADHD may be impacting your mental health negatively then please do look into it as I found it really helped explain so much more for me that autism couldnt completely explain, there was just something missing for me. Also do look into the different types of ADHD as there isn't just one type! People thought there was no way I had ADHD combined and that I was only inattentive because I am a very quiet person but my struggle to talk to people I don't know isn't actually from social anxiety but from RSD, my strong fear of rejection, I was scared to speak in case I said the wrong thing or made a bad impression, but this was seen by professionals before any other diagnosis i received as social anxiety. 

I'm sorry I made this so long I just don't know when to stop! I hope this was helpful and you are able to find the right diagnosis' and support in the future so you can be your best self and thrive, and I really hope you don't have to suffer severe mental health issues like I did, I hope you are able to access the right support and whatever you may need to live happily! Wish you all the best and again I'm sorry this is so long!!!

Hi, 

Thought I’d reply to your post as there’s so many similarities I notice in my situation but you are a lot further along the process than me.

I too visited the GP originally about an ADHD diagnosis after 2/3 years of extensive research, albeit I had in the back of my mind it could be a dual diagnosis as I matched a lot of the criteria to both but there was also a lot of contradictions  I.e. I’m so unorganized at home/chores but my attention to detail in my career is excellent. 

After visiting the GP I come out with just an autism referral which I was quite shocked with, currently been on the waiting list for 18 months or so. 

My research first started roughly about  4 years ago after my first burn out a year and a half into working full time consistently. Only after another 2/3 years of research, moving out of my family home for the first time, few promotions at work mixed with a few more periods of burnouts in between did I pluck up the courage to go to see a GP. I’ve had a lot of imposter syndrome as I didn’t watch up to the stereotypes of the conditions as I had a full time job, live with my partner. 

I’ve think I’ve learned how to reduce my burnouts, my next step is to tackle my emotional regulation as my emotions are effected by external factors too much and I have  a spiky profile at times in my home/work life more positives than negatives but it’s one thing that’s now affecting me furthering my career. Frustration adds to the dysregulation as I know I’m an expert at my role now and am ready for my next role but it just doesn’t seem to happen because I’m not outwardly vocal of the things I achieve/bring to the table. 

A bit of a ramble sorry but it was nice to hear someone with similar experiences 

Hi, 

Thought I’d reply to your post as there’s so many similarities I notice in my situation but you are a lot further along the process than me.

I too visited the GP originally about an ADHD diagnosis after 2/3 years of extensive research, albeit I had in the back of my mind it could be a dual diagnosis as I matched a lot of the criteria to both but there was also a lot of contradictions  I.e. I’m so unorganized at home/chores but my attention to detail in my career is excellent. 

After visiting the GP I come out with just an autism referral which I was quite shocked with, currently been on the waiting list for 18 months or so. 

My research first started roughly about  4 years ago after my first burn out a year and a half into working full time consistently. Only after another 2/3 years of research, moving out of my family home for the first time, few promotions at work mixed with a few more periods of burnouts in between did I pluck up the courage to go to see a GP. I’ve had a lot of imposter syndrome as I didn’t watch up to the stereotypes of the conditions as I had a full time job, live with my partner. 

I’ve think I’ve learned how to reduce my burnouts, my next step is to tackle my emotional regulation as my emotions are effected by external factors too much and I have  a spiky profile at times in my home/work life more positives than negatives but it’s one thing that’s now affecting me furthering my career. Frustration adds to the dysregulation as I know I’m an expert at my role now and am ready for my next role but it just doesn’t seem to happen because I’m not outwardly vocal of the things I achieve/bring to the table. 

A bit of a ramble sorry but it was nice to hear someone with similar experiences 

I can also defo relate to what you said about your work & home life M11.
Before I became too ill to work I was also very good at it. Well organised at work but at home I am the complete opposite. I cannot get my head in gear, like a mental blank/shutdown & cannot get past it or work how to engage in what needs to be done. Or calm down my buzzing head enough to hone my thinking in the right direction. Too much going on in my head at times. where at work, I had my focus.

Also about being vocal at work. I really struggled with that too especially when I had to speak in front of a group. I just used to freeze up & it all because too overwhelming